London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Say what? BBC rolls out bizarre story of ‘more than 1,600 police officers’ killed on duty… since 19th century

Say what? BBC rolls out bizarre story of ‘more than 1,600 police officers’ killed on duty… since 19th century

Following the deadly shooting of an officer inside a police station in Croydon, BBC London rolled out a tribute story to “1,600 police officers” killed in the line of duty, somehow omitting the timeframe in the headline.

The piece, boldly dubbed ‘More than 1,600 officers have been killed in line of duty’ was produced by BBC London on Friday, following the overnight incident in Croydon. A 23-year-old suspect shot and killed a police officer moments after being arrested. The suspect then turned the gun on himself.


Despite having the deceptive headline, the BBC piece explains that said “1,600 officers” have been “killed by criminal acts in the line of duty since 1862,” citing the National Police Memorial roll of honor.

In fact, the UK Police roll of honor spans back to the Night Watch, created by Charles II, that even predated the formal establishment of the United Kingdom itself. The list contains more than 4,000 names of members of various law enforcement forces that have existed in Britain since the late 17th century. Some 500 police officers from Great Britain, and some 1,000 more from assorted colonial forces more are still being researched.

It was not immediately clear why the BBC rather arbitrarily cut the list at the 1862 mark. The decision might simply stem from the fact that the earliest police casualties, mentioned in a daily remembrance widget, were two constables who died back in 1862.

Sky News, for instance, decided to go past that milestone, tracing back officers' killings to the 17th century instead. The channel reported likewise on Friday that “more than 1,600 officers have died while performing vital tasks such as foiling terrorists, quelling rioters and marshalling protests since 1600", citing the very same document. The article is still available on its website.



The bizarre tribute story did not miss the eye of the Internet crowd, immediately coming under a storm of mockery. Many users accused the BBC of producing the worst-ever clickbait headline, arguing that it would not hurt to explicitly state the timeframe.


Others targeted the honor roll itself, fuming about what forces exactly are honored on the list that includes colonial paramilitary units such as the Royal Irish Constabulary.


Some users took a more light hearted approach, joking about a very broad definition of what being killed “in the line of duty” means. The list mentions officers who perished in various accidents, such as being run over by a horse carriage.



Later in the day, the BBC took down its tweet promoting the story and released a bizarre clarification on the headline, saying it “contained information from the National Police Memorial Roll.” The BBC has also tweaked the story itself, renaming it as ‘Remembering officers killed in the line of duty’ and, for some reason, axing the time frame from the text altogether.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×